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Debate 101: A High School Guide to Arguing Effectively
Boost Your Persuasive Skills and Confidence
Have you ever wondered how to win debates? Do you want to be prepared for any discussion, ready to beat any opponent in class or on the streets?
Formal debating is a popular pastime at universities and schools, and it can hone your analytic and communication skills, sharpening your mind and enabling you to become a confident talker, whether in a bar, a job interview or a committee.
And the skills you’ll hone through debating are essential to good thinking in your whole life, whether or not you ever do formal competitive debating. It’s exciting, sociable, intellectually stimulating and a lot of fun. Let’s start with the basics.
Understanding the Basics
Debate, at its heart, is a formalised argument. That is, a discussion on a given topic in which a person expresses and defends a position about a certain question or case. But there’s a big difference between stating your point of view and convincing others to accept it. Here’s what you need to know:
Know Your Audience: Is your audience composed of your closest friends or your teacher? What argument could convince one group but not the other?
